Georgia forestry, Vol. 40, no. 4 (Dec. 1987)

Georgia
FORESTRY
USPS No. 2 17120
December. 198 7 No. 4 Vol. 40
Joe Fra nk Harris -Governor John W. M ixon -Director
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Jim L. Gill is. Jr.. Cha irman. Soperton Felton Denney, Carrollton Eley C. Frazer. Ill , Albany
Patricia B. Robinson. Atlanta Robert Simpson. Ill , Lakeland
STAFF How ard E. Bennett , Edi tor W illiam S. Edwards. Associate Ed itor Jac kie N. Sw inson. Gra ph ic Artist
DIST RI CT OFFICES
District One 3088 M artha Berry Hwy., NE
Rome. GA 301 6 1
District Two Route 11 , Box 3 7 Ga inesville, GA 30501
District Three Rout e 4, Box 168A Athens. GA 30605
District Four P.O. Sox 1080 Newnan. GA 302 64
District Five Highway 49 M illedgeville. GA 31061
District Six Route 2. Box 266 W ashington. GA 30673
District Seven Route 1, Box 23A Am eric us, GA 31 709
Di strict Eight Route 3 , Box 17 Ti fton, GA 31 7 94
District Nine Route 2. Box 7 22 Camilla. GA 31730
District Ten Route 2. Box 2 8 Statesboro, GA 30458
District Eleven Route 1. Box 46 Helena. GA 31 03 7
District Twelve Route 6, Box 16 7 W aycross. GA 3 150 1
Urban Forestry 6835 M emorial Drive Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Georgia Forestry is published quarterly by the Georgia Forestry Commission. Route 1. Box 18 1. Dry Branch. GA 31020 . Second class postage paid at M acon. GA. POSTM ASTER: Send address changes to Georgia Forestry Commission. Route 1, Box 18 1, Dry Branch, GA 31 0 20 .
2/ Georgia Forestry/ December 198 7

This great Live Oak at Baptist Village in Waycross is typical of the species that thrives in Georgia. This tree is 76 feet high and has a crown spread of 150 feet.

STATE TREE NAMED 50 YEARS AGO

The live oak (Quercus virginiana Mill.) . which flourishes along the coastal plains and islands of Georgia, was declared the state tree 50 years ago by the Georgia General Assembly. The beautiful evergreen became a symbol of Georgia on February 25, 1937, after the Edmund Burke Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution suggested the live oak.
Along with the state's abundant pine trees, the live oak has become an emblem of Georgia and the South. The tree is closely associated with the state's early history, occupying the land where the first early settlers resided .
The live oak. with its red-tinged bark and acorn fruit, is the only native oak tree of Georgia that stays green year-round . The leaves are dark green on the top and pale green underneath . The bark of the live oak is slightly furrowed with small scales .
Georgia claims the live oak as her state tree, but she is not the only state in which it grows. The tree is seen in a strip of country mostly along the East Coast from Virginia to Florida. The live oak is believed to be native as far as lower Sumpter County, South Carolina.
Most people associate the oak with its potential . mammoth size. The average height of a full grown live oak is 40 to 50 feet w ith a trunk three to four feet in diameter.
Georgia also possesses one of the largest of the live oaks. The oak at the Baptist Village in Waycross is 93 feet in

diameter. It has a crown spread of 750feet and is 76 feet in height.
In the 18th century, the live oak was used mostly for ship building. The _wood is heavy, hard and has strong-qualities that made the oak perfect in the construction of ships. The Act of 1 799 provided for naval construction to supply live oak frames for six 74-gun ships . During World War II , several small crafts were contracted to be built at Brunswick, presumably for nava l use. That incident is believed to be the last time live oak was cut for naval use anywhere in that vicinity.
The live oak was also involved in other historical events. It was under the " Secession Oak" at Bluffton , South Carolina, that. according to citizens in that area, the first large gathering of people congregated around to discuss seriously the secession from the Union.
Fifty years ago, a group of people thought enough of the live oak to proudly declare it Georgia 's state tree. Remembering the words of the General Assembly on February 25, 1937, " the live oak. being a tree indigenous to the soil of our State ...and which is so closely associated particularly with the lives of such famous Georgians as John Wesley and Sidney Lanier," the Georgia Forestry Commission commends the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Georgia General Assembly for the contribution they made a half century ago in designating the mighty live oak as our offficial state tree.

ON THE COVER A Christmas tree farmer checks Virginia pines as another harvest
season rolls around. The picturesque Sandy Creek Tree Farm on Hammock Road in Twiggs County, owned and operated by Don and Doyle Watson, is one of about 500 Christmas tree farms now in production in Georgia.

Mitchell County tree farmer C. M . Stripling stood before an applauding audience of some 200 of the nation 's top forestry executives gathered at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel for the 1987 Annual National Forest Products Convention. Representatives attending ranged from Georgia to Alaska . C. M . Stripling had just completed his acceptance speech for the National Tree Farmer ofthe Year Award. He competed with more than 58,000 tree farmers to bring this coveted honor home to Georgia.
As the applause faded , Stripling remembered that hot November day in 1939 when he planted his first of 1.000 seedlings by hand - even though he had been warned such an endeavor might kill him.
" I don 't care if it kills me," he finally told his mother. " I can't be like this anymore. If I die - I die." And after a year of " sitting around trying to get better" the 19-yearold Stripl ing walked out of his family homeplace in Camilla, bought a dibble, a thousand pine seedlings, and started planting them by hand. Today, that same farm, w ith 800 acres of carefully managed trees, is the nation's number one tree farm.
But at 19, Stripling had no intentions of becoming any sort of farmer. (" Being a doctor was all I ever intended," he said) . Stripling had started his second year of college, confidently headed for medical school , when a required physical examination diagnosed dangerously high blood pressure. Within a week he was back in Camilla, sent home for a cure that did not exist.
OVERCAME PROBLEM
" Back then people didn 't know anything to do for high blood pressure, but there were some weird theories going around," Stripling remembers. " I didn't actually take any prescribed medication until 1968. "
However, during 1939 Stripling was the victim of some of these " weird theories " including purgatives and a tonsilectomy. Being an only child, Stripling recalls his mother's tendency to be over protective. But after a year at home. never feeling the slightest bit ill. Stripling decided he could no longer tolerate the role of an invalid. However, he was not completely opposed to remaining on the family farm because his mother had health problems.
This odd combination of medically in- duced circumstances resulted in 10 acres of hand planted pines that would set a trend for Stripling 's lifetime and lead to national prominence and honors.
"Those trees would have never been planted if I hadn't had high blood pressure," Stripling said. "I had a lot of time to think during that year and I real ized how risky farming could be. I knew a farmer needed something to prop him up and this government (ASCS) program for planting trees seemed like a natural."
However, Stripling's enthusiasm for planting trees in 1939 was not shared by

Tree Farmer C. M . Stripling, right, and Commission Forester William C. Lamp hold the dibble Stripling used to plant his first trees back when he was 19 years of age. Below, the champion tree farmer addresses the Atlanta press corps as Governor Joe Frank Harris looks on.

NATIONAL TREE FARMER OF THE YEAR HONOR GOES TO GEORGIA LANDOWNER

BY BILL EDWARDS

other landowners . Their reactions ranged from laughter to serious concern for young Stripl ing 's sanity. But Stripling did not find the project humorous and regarded himself to be of sound mind. He accepted the critics with indifference and persisted. Stripl ing never returned to college. He stayed hom e, farmed , got married. had two children - and all along the way continued to plant t rees.
" I wouldn't say anybody followed my

example, but I was one of the first in Mitchell County to seriously go into tree farming, " Stripling said . "One of the main reasons I did it was for diversification . We just didn't have any trees on our place. Lots of people already had trees."
Stripling believes the benefits and financial security of tree farming just became too much for most people to ignore. " It's not hard to get in a bind farming and run up a million dollar debt," he pointed out. "I know quite a few people around here who have done it and bailed themselves out saved the farm - by selling trees. I also know some who had no trees to sell and went under. One bad year of farming can wipe you out. You need a prop. It's as simple as that."
ECONOMIC STIMULUS
If Stripling's " prop'' theory sounds simplistic, he can become academic. Punching out a mathematical story on his calculator. he shows how for a comparatively insignificant amount, he planted a tract of timber that recently sold for $300,000. Then documenting every step, he calculates how this $300 ,000 translates into a $4 million economic stimulus by circulating through wood yards, pulp and paper mills, products, salaries, and sales. Based on this calculation he shows how 20 million similar acres of pines in the Conservation Reserve Program can translate into $6

(continued on page 14)

Georgia Forestry/December 198 7/3

Timothy M . Cooney
GEORGIAN GIVEN
NATIONAL AWARD
Timothy M . Cooney, a trust officer with The First National Bank of Atlanta, has been named the 1987 recipient of the Young Forester Leadership Award presented by the Society of American Foresters.
Cooney is awarded for contributing to furthering the application of computer technology to forestry science. He also is cited for increasing membership in the Forest Resources Systems Institute from 10 members to 500 during his term as president.
At First Atlanta, Cooney is responsible for managing information systems for the Timberland Division in the Investment Management Group of First Wachovia Trust Services. Currently, the division manages more than 65,000 acres of forest in three Southeastern states for pension funds and individual customers.
Cooney joined First Atlanta in August after leaving Forest Resources Systems Institute, Inc. He also has been an economist and programmer/ analyst for the Quinault Indian Nation (Department of Natural Resources), a research associate at the University of British Columbia, and a forest technician for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. He serves as an advisor to the board of directors of the Forest Resources Systems Institute.
A native of Commerce, Mich., Cooney is a 1976 graduate of Michigan State University with a bachelor of science degree in forestry. He earned a master's degree in forest economics at the University of Columbia in 1981. In addition to being active in the Society of American Foresters which has 20,000 members nationwide, he has been a regular contributor to The Journal Of Forestry.
Cooney and his wife live in Douglasville, Ga.
4/ Georgia Forestry/ December 198 7

Forester Darrell Busch, right, manager of the Ernst Brender Demonstration Forest. and Forest Technician Howard Underwood of the U. S. Forest Service, Macon, discuss a seed collection and monitoring devise on the forest.

DEMONSTRATION FOREST ESTABLISHED TO SHOW LATEST MANAGEMENT SKILLS
BY DARRELL BUSCH

The Georgia Forestry Commision now has a "showcase forest" in central Georgia that demonstrates the many benefits of properly managed woodlands for landowners and other visitors to the reservation . It is also a site where professional foresters will study examples of the latest techniques.in forest management.
The Commission, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service and the Southern Industrial Forest Research Council, has established the Ernst Brender Demonstration Forest. Just off Hwy. 18 in Jones County. The purpose of the forest is to provide a place where foresters, landowners, students, teachers or others interested in forest resources, can visit to see actual field demonstrations that employ good forest practices and to learn more about the environment and the profession of forestry.
BRENDER MEMORIAL
The forest is named for the late Ernst Brender, well known pine silviculturist and project leader in the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station in Macon from 1945 to 1975. The demonstration forest is centered on the U.S. Forest Services ' Hitchiti Experimental Forest and included demonstration sites on the Hitchiti Forest, as well as nearby sites on private land.

The demonstration program is now being planned and will be primarily aimed at three different groups. The first group is the non-industrial private forest landowner, which includes farmers who have a portion of their lands in forests, city dwellers who own land in the country, and other groups such as hunt clubs and private camp members. This group is a critically important one for forestry in Georgia. Many studies have shown that those in this category own over 60 percent of the forestland in Georgia but tend to do the least to care for and manage the woodlands. If away could be found to encourage this group to more fully attain the potential of their forestland, it would be a great advantage not only to the landowner himself but to the economy of the state and the vitality of the forest products industry. They need to be aware that practices lead to higher timber yields, a higher quality forest product, lower soil erosion, higher water quality, better w ildlife habitat and more and better opportunities for recreation .
Because intensive, industrial style forestry can be expensive, many landowners are discouraged from doing anything and this lack of management results in poor quality woodlands. The Brender Demonstration Forest. therefore, emphasizes extensive, natural regeneration and

management systems to help convince a small landowner that he can safely and effectively reforest his land after a timber sale.
Demonstrations will include cl ea rcut regeneration . seed tree, shelterwood and uneven-aged management systems. Artificial site preparation and regeneration will also be shown . There will be demonstrations on how to restore abused and high-graded cutover lands and they will be shown on a scale of operations typical of the private, small forest landowner.
The second group for which demonstrations are planned is the general public. Th is group tends to be eager to learn about forestry and the environment.
VARIED DEMONSTRATIONS
Demonstrations will include clearcut regeneration , seed tree, shelter wood and uneven-aged management systems. Artificial site preparation and regeneration will also be shown. There will be demonstrations on how to restore abused and high-graded cutover lands and they will be shown on a scale of operations typical of the private, small forest landowner.
The second group for which demonstrations are planned is the general publi c. This group tends to be eager to learn about forestry and the environment.
Demonstrations will include interpretive nature trails , an arboretum , displays, films and exhibits, and an informative selfguided tour of forest management sites. The public will learn about the history of the area and the land ethic and environmental processes at work.
The third group will be the forestry professionals.This group includes consulting, state, federal, and industrial foresters, as

w ell as students , educators , researchers and land managers. The U. S. Forest Serv ice's Southeastern Forest Experiment Stat ion has, since 1946, condu cted a program of scie ntific research on th e Hitchiti Experim ent Forest. Making the past, present and future research plots accessible and interesting will be a goal of the staff of the Brender Forest. By having these sites available, the professional community will be brought up to date on the latest in the field, as well as receiving valuable refresher courses on subjects such as fire control , silviculture, mensuration. reforestation , forest operations and forest education .
Presently, the Brender Forest is staffed by two people--a full time forester and one assistant. Th ere is a building on site with office space and an auditorium with a capacity of about 50 persons.
The Hitch iti Forest is also a center of population in the central part of the state for the endangered Red-cockaded woodpecker. Demonstrations showing the management of pine woods for improvement of Red-cockaded woodpecker habitat are also planned .
DEDICATIO N PLANNED
There is a 400-acre natural reserve which contains some stands of old-growth timber.
Ded ication of the facilities, which are now being renovated, is planned for sometime in April , 1988.
The Brender Demonstration Forest offers an opportunity for all people-landowners, professionals, the general public--to continue to learn about Georgia forests, the state's most valuable natural resource .

Ernst Brender, for whom the demonstration forest is named, was inducted into the Georgia Foresters Hall of Fame in 79 72. He headed the Hitchiti Experimental Forest for 25 years and was author of more than 4 0 scientific papers and articles. He retired in 79 75 and died of a heart attack in 7985.

REVISED NATIVE SEEDS AND PLANTS BOOK NOW AVAILABLE

A revised edition of the publication Sources of Native Seeds and Plants has been released by the Soil and Water Conservation Society.
The new edition contains the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of

nearly 250 growers and suppliers of native vegetation in 38 states, Canada, and Mexico.
Copies of the 360page booklet are available for $3.00 ($2 .50 for orders of 10 or more), postpaid, from SWCS, 7515 N.E. Ankeny Road, Ankeny, Iowa 50021 -976 4 .

L. W. (Hoop) Eberhardt
EBERHARDT NAMED
TO HALL OF FAME
The greatest recognition a professional can obtain comes from his peers; they are the people who have first-hand knowledge of that person's true value and accomplishments. lnduction into the Forester's Hall of Fame is the highest honor given to a professional forester in Georgia by his peers .
L. W . " Hoop" Eberhardt of Athens was recently accorded the distinction by the Georgia Division, Society of American Foresters.
After graduating from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry in 1936, Eberhardt began his career as assistant county agent in Berrien County. He quickly moved up to county agent and in 1940 was promoted to the state staff as a specialist in forestry and 4-H. He initiated 4H, forestry and naval stores camps by obtaining financial support from the forest industry. The contacts and his dedication to youth reached dynamic proportions. He became a district agent and in 1963 was appointed Director ofthe Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Georgia.
Eberhardt accepted the challenge of raising funds to finance the building of the Rock Eagle 4-H center, which today is said to be one of the finest facilities of it's kind in the world.
CONTRACTS EXPLAIN ED
Since many timber sale contracts do not specifically address reforestation clauses, landowners may w ish to consult 'Timber Sale Contract Reforestation Clauses" by Bob lzlar and Doug Domenech, publication #85A-3, available from the American Pulpwood Association, Inc., Suite 1020, 1025 Vermont Ave.,W ashington, D.C. 20005 for $1 a copy.
The timber contract is the part of the timber-sale process where the interests of all legs of the landowner/ forester/logger triangle come together.
Georgia Forestry/December 798 7/ 5

When world attention was focused a few weeks ago on tiny Jessica McClure trapped in an abandoned well in Texas, Forest Ranger Paul Petty shuddered to think that a similar ordeal might have occured in his North Georgia county if his unit had not filled in 145 old wells.
"Actually,a lot of the credit should go to Rip Collins", said the Pickens County ranger who succeeded Collins as head of the unit." Petty, who formerly served as a patrolman, said "we not only covered up 145 wells throughout the county, but we filled in 60 mining holes."
The retired Collins apparently was prompted to intensify a campaign started in 1975 to eliminate the hazards around old home places after Patrolman Charles Padgett in 1979 rescued a man from the bottom of a 50-foot well.
Ranger Petty said his unit is continuing to fill in old holes and the work is not only being done to protect the public, but to prevent his own firefighters from being killed or injured as they subdue fires in heavily wooded areas where vines and brush often obscure abandoned wells and mines.
ABANDONED MINES
He said the mines are sometimes "as big as the crawler tractors we use in plowing firebreaks and even bigger." They are old talc mines and they are usually well camouflaged by vegetation. Talc is a very soft mineral used to make talcum powder and lubricants and was mined until a few years ago in many sections of Pickens and adjoining counties.
The ranger said the unit works closely with the county's board of commissioners in spotting and eliminating the perils and the routine duty in recent years hasn't called for heroic action such as that displayed by Patrolman Padgett back in 19 7 9 .The patrolman was on a mobile home fire when he saw an official of an electric co-op on some rotten boards and plunge into the deep well.
Disregarding his own safety, he had someone on the scene tie fire hoses around him and lower him into the well to rescue the injured victim.
Many wells and other dangerous obstacles have been eliminated by Commission personnel in pther sections of the state.
District Forester David McClain, who directs Commission activities in 1 5 counties in the Gainesville area, said his men fill in abandoned wells when requested by landowners, or when they come upon a well and confront the owner to receive permission to destroy it.
MARKING DANGER
'Til tell you when old wells are really dangerous!" said the forester. 'When you're out marking timber and you need to be looking up, instead of down, and can't look out for wells that are grown over with honeysuckle or kudzu."
McClain said that during his career he has worked in counties where test pits and mines where copper, iron ore and gold has once been mined and then deserted to become holes that left forest firefighters in jeopardy.
6/Georgia Forestry/December 1987

District Ranger Lynn McElroy said personnel in the Newnan District during the past year have covered six abandoned wells.
Forester Jack Long, associate chief of the Commission's Forest Protection Department, recalled that a patrolman plowed out a fire one night and upon returning to the scene the next morning to determine the fire damage, found that his tractor had straddled a deep well.
Long pointed out that the man could have been killed or seriously injured if he had hit the hole head on or if the heavy machine had

caused the well to cave in. He also told of a patrolman who hit a well and only the brush guard prevented the tractor from falling deeper into the well.
'There are plenty of old wells still out there and they are hazardous," said Long." I am talking about the old wells that had to be dug by hand...big enough for a man to get into." The modern well with an electric pump is bored and piped and presents no problem, he said. " It's the old fashioned well that's two to four feet in diameter and hidden in a tangle of vines that can cause trouble."

COUNTY UNIT ELIMINATES MANY ABANDONED WELLS
TO PREVENT POSSIBLE DEATHS OR INJURIES

Ranger Paul Petty of the Pickens County Unit examines another abandoned well that is scheduled to be filled in by his personnel in a continuing effort to make the county safer for firefighters and the general public.

Georgia, especially rural Georgia, with miles of county maintained roads and bridges, has many substandard bridges by today's modern standards. While these bridges may be safe, they do not always allow the full tonnage of loads that modern commerce and farming activities require.
As a way to economically address the problem of substandard county bridges, the Georgia Forestry Comm ission advocates the use of engineered wooden bridges using pressure treated southern yellow pine as the primary component of the bridge.
Tommy Loggins , associate ch ief of the Commission's Research Department. said the Commission is actively encouraging the use of pressure-treated modern bridges as a competitive alternative to the more traditional concrete and steel constructed bridges.
Now that many rural bridges are in need of upgrading to increase their carrying capacities, the time may be arriving when a locally grown and manufactured product can be used to upgrade the transportation system , he said .
The reason forth is, Loggins pointed out, is that in recent years research has increased the useful life of wood for use as a building material and has yielded more efficient designs as well. " With the newengineered wooden bridge designs and treatment processes, we believe wooden bridges are as durable as concrete and steel, are highly aesthetic additions to the roadway, and can be locally produced and installed."
One thing Loggins expects to boost the argument for wooden bridges is a timber bridge and construction manual that is being produced for distribution sometime during the spring of next year by the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin.
The publication , Timber Bridges; A Manual to Detail Easily Built, Long-Lasting Structures, is geared toward both local and state highway engineers and designers. Loggins described the forthcoming manual as the state of the art on current wooden bridges and said it contains results of the latest research on the subject.
Loggins cited many additional advantages of timber bridges: The fact that they are simple to fabricate and cost competitive should appeal to county governments which will have the job of replacing the majority of the substandard old bridges. The pressure-treated timber bridges have high strength to weight ratio, sound and thermal insulation, shock resistance, and are immume to de-icing chemicals. Environmentalists should be pleased with the eye appeal they offer and the fact that they are constructed from a renewable resource.
Many Georgians would benefit from the construction of timber bridges. Presently, many farmers and loggers must go out of their way to detour in order to avoid unsafe

This bridge ofpressure treated softwood prefabricated panels w as assembled on the abutments in j ust one day. The bridge, located in a rural section of Pennsylvania, is typical of the type span the Georgia Forestry Commission is advocating for replacement of some old bridges in Georgia.

COMMISSION ADVOCATES GREATER USE OF WOOD IN CONSTRUCTION OF BRIDGES
BY ROBYN ANTHONY

bridges, and Loggins said the pressuretreated southern yellow pine bridges would be capable of handling the heavy loads which would save the farmers and loggers both money and time.

The construction of such bridges would also benefit the state's economy since the pine would come from Georgia's forests, treated in Georgia, by Georgians, Loggins
pointed out.
Georgia Forestry/ December 198 7/ 7

GEORGIA'S RTH FOREST

Georgia's first forest was composed of virgin stands of pine and hardwood that supplied the basic need of the early settlers.
I t has been said that at the time the first settlers came to this country it was conceivable for a squirrel, by taking a circuitous route, to jump from limb to limb from the Georgia coast to the Mississippi River without ever having to touch the ground. That. of course, was the great virgin forest that blanketed much of the Eastern Seaboard and provided pioneers with an abundance of material for building cabins, rail fences, animal shelters, forts and other structures in a lush wilderness of hardwoods and pine. The early Georgians used wood in a hundred ways . It was winterfuel for theirfireplaces, which were used for cooking as well as for heating their rustic homes.Wood was used to make their furniture, spinning wheels, looms, and farm wagons. It built their first churches, schools and trading posts. The wide use of trees was, of course, essential to the development of t he fledging Georgia farms and towns that slowly emerged from the forests, but the plentiful trees ultimately became an unappreciated resource. Their prolific growth became a burden as they had to be laboriously cleared by man and oxen to make way for agricultural field and garden plots. They had to be removed to provide grazing land for livestock and to create paths and meandering trails that were later to become principal roads. It is difficult today to imagine the many hours the Georgia frontiersman spent in producing a single plank by using a drawing knife or hand plane. He eventually advanced to the pit saw and finally witnessed the first water-powered sawmills along rivers and other streams. Steam later replaced water-powered mills and railroads gradually snaked across the state to ease the logistical problem of moving logs from the forest and mill production to the marketplace. The emergence of the railroad also brought timber companies into the state that often clear cut vast areas and left the exposed land open to soil erosion. The expanding population brought about an increase in forest wildfires that often burned for days.

Just as the great virgin forest was invaluable10 Georgia's early settlers, it is of prime impor-
u tance today and can be further enhanced as 18 state plans for the twenty-first century.
BY HOWJr BENNETT J

The widespread exploitation of timber and the uncontrolled fires eventually brought a close to an era - a virgin forest was disappearing .
THE SECOND FOREST
The turn of the century saw nature begin to re-establish trees on logged sites and burned over areas. The volunteer seedlings in the early 1900's gradually turned the countryside green again . It was the beginning of Georgia's second forest.
The widespread growth, nurtured by Georgia's ideal soils and moderate climate, represented the forests that would supply the sawmills that dotted the state in the 1930's and through the 1950's. It was an era that encompassed both the Great Depression and World War II.
The Civilian Conservation Corps, an organization that sent thousands of young Georgia men out across the state to plant trees and engage in other conservation practices, was formed during the economic depression. The CCC was initiated in 1933 and for nine years aided in the country's economic recovery and served the cause of practical forestry in Georgia and states across the nation.
The war that came later brought a great demand for lumber, paper, naval stores and other products derived from the woodlands. Much of the second forest timber was depleted to meet the demands of w ar and industrial needs following that crisis. One measure, however, that spurred reforestation in the late 1950's was the federally financed Soil Bank Program - a program that brought a great tree planting surge to Georgia.
The second forest was mainly re-established by nature on cutover lands and vast acreage that had been ravished by fire.

THE THIRD FOREST
The long string of railroad cars loaded with pulpwood and wood chips and the many trucks hauling logs along the state's highways are familiar everyday scenes in almost every county inGeorgia. The products that are being transported to the mill are from the third forest- our present-day forest.
It is the forest that is feeding the 15 insatiable pulp and paper mills that operate around the clock and the woodlands that are supplying a great volume of logs for Georgia's 176 high-production sawmills.The 23.7 million acres of commercial forests in the state also provides an endless supply of raw materials for plywood and veneer mills, pole and post t reatment plants and others that comprise the 500 industries that are primary users of round wood. In addition, more than 1,000 secondary industries, including naval stores processors, depend on the forest.
Forestry troday is the leading industry in Georgia. It contributes $8.6 billion annually to the economy and provides employment for more than 80,000 men and women. Standing timber in the state is valued at more than $12 billion and annual harvests earn landowners more than $400 million.
The third forest has resulted from both natural regeneration that occurred on abandoned farm land and the intensive establishment of pine plantations by private landowners and forest industries. Genetically improved planting stock, better forest management by landowners and effective fire protection have contributed to Georgia's ability to retain and enhance her forest wealth.
Technology, however, has expanded wood utilization and consumer demand for wood energy and products derived from wood has increased sharply in recent years. The rate oftrees harvested exceeds those that are planted and unless the gap is closed,the third forest will fall short of satisfying needs within a few years.
THE FOURTH FOREST
Today, the fourth forest- the forest destined to fulfill the needs in a new century, is just emerging. It is the millions of seedlings now flourishing across the state and the millions that will be planted this season and in the seasons to come.
Georgia is one of the nation's fastest growing states and the future forest must meet the demands of an expanded population. Population growth, of course, brings about a greater demand on land. Shopping centers, industrial parks, super highways, airports and residential developments will take a tremendous toll on land and further reduce acreage available for forests.
Georgia presently has an abundance of commercial forest land, but the 23.7 million acres is expected to decline to about 21 .8 million acres by 2030. With the reduced acreage projected in the future, a vigorous reforestation drive now in effect will have to continue unabated if Georgia is to meet the challenge in the twenty first century.
There will never be a time again, of course, when Georgia will have the benefit of a virgin forest. but man's ability to genetically improve

The third forest resulted in natural regeneration and the establishment of pine plantations as a growing industry demanded more wood.
seedlings, control age-old enemies of the forest and vastly improve timber management, marketing and utilization has obvious advantages over the early settlers who only knew wood for its most basic uses.
IN THE NEW CENTURY
The obvious key to a vigorous forest economy is the perpetuation and improvement of the woodland to the extent that the state will always have an adequate inventory of timber.
There are bright prospects for the forest industry in Georgia, according to a study by Dr. Phillip A. Cartwright in the Georgia Economic Forecasting Project at the University of Georgia. The study showed that growth in the industry may exceed the national rate of 25 percent, with as many as 14 ,000 new jobs created in the industry by the turn of the century.
A complex computer model is used to predict changes in the state's timber supply, demand and price in a study conducted by Dr. Albert A. Montgomery of the Department of Decision Sciences at Georgia State University. His study also showed the potential for a healthy forest economy in t he future if the present trend in which removal outstrips growth can be reversed.
In the new century, as in the past, timber supply, demand and price will be determined by technological advances, population growth, income and economic climate, changes in land use, forest management intensity and other factors.
A report on the nation 's Fourth Forest is being prepared by the U. S. Forest Service in cooperation with other agencies. In Georgia, the Forestry Commission is working with the federal agency on the report for this state. Copies will be available early in the new year.

FOUR GEORGIA COMMUNITIES
TO RECEIVE HISTORIC TREE
GROVES

10/Geor ia Forestry/December 198 7

Four Georgia communities, along with communities from 31 other states have been selected by the American Forestry Association to receive Famous and Historic Tree Groves to commemorate the bicentennial of the United States Constitution.
AFA is making the historic grove packages available to select communities for commemorative plantings on public land. These groves are said to be perfect centerpieces for a community's " Plant A Living Legacy to the United States Constitution " project, as sponsored by the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution.
The Outdoor Activity Center in Atlanta, Fort Benning, the City of Jackson, and the City of Savannah were found to meet specific requirements in Georgia for the nurturing and long-term care of the his-
toric plantings. The seedlings will be one or two seasons old when
shipped, so they will need nursery care for the next
few years to ensure development. Afterward, the seedlings will be planted in a public place in the community. The American Forestry Association located historic trees in different
growing regions to make the program available
to as many communities as possible. The seedlings were grown from the seeds of trees connected with the country's birth, development and founding fathers.

Brad Castleberry, Community Relations Officer at Fort Benning, said that their Famous and Historic Tree Grove will be part of the base's planned bicentennial of the Constitution Celebration.
" We will receive ten seedlings sometime between December of this year and March of next year. Once the seedlings get mature enough to plant, we will have a dedication ceremony, but we haven't decided on a location for the grove as yet. " It will be accessible to the public for easy enjoyment. and it will be marked with some type of commerative plaque, he said.
Dr. Donald Gardner, director of the Park and Tree Department of the City of Savannah, said he thinks it's appropriate that his was chosen to be a recipient of one of the groves.
"Savannah is a very historic city, and if any city in America should receive a Famous and Historic tree grove, it should be Savannah,.. he said.
Gardner said it is particularly fitting that one of the seedlings will be a descendent of the black walnut trees located on Mt. Vernon property.
"After the Battle of Yorktown, George Washington visited Savannah and presented to the city a captured British cannon," he said .
Gardner said the seedlings will be placed in a nursery upon arrival in Savannah and on maturity (approximately two years) . they will be planted in Colonial Cemetery, which is the resting place of Button Gwinnett, one of the signers of the Constitution, as well as several Revolutionary War generals.
Another interesting aspect to the program is the fact some seedlings will come from four Georgia trees. The selected trees are among 17 nationwide that will provide seedlings for distribution to participating

communities. 'The Tree (white oak) That Owns Itself"
now in its second generation in Athens is one Georgia tree in the program. In 1820, William H. Jackson willed to the original white oak, "for and in consideration of the great love I bear this tree, " entire possession of itself and of all land within 8 feet ofthe tree on all sides. The tree died in 1942. One of its offspring was set in the same spotto become the second 'Tree That Owns Itself," and the only tree in the world that inherited the land on which its forbear stood.
The United Daughters of the Confederacy planted the second Georgia tree selected, which is the historic American Holly on the grounds of the Laurens County Historical Society and Museum in Dublin. It was planted about 60 years ago to commemorate soldiers who died in the Civil War.
The third Georgia tree, the Liberty (willow oak) tree was planted by the Daughters of the American Revolution in Milledgeville in 1921. Soil samples from the most historical places in each of the 48 mainland states were col lected and placed in the tree well where the tree was planted.
The final tree from Georgia, the famous Hagin-Hoiland (white oak) grew from an acorn planted by Archibald Holland and Elizabeth Hagin on their Dallas, Georgia homesite in 1836.

Jerry Roth operates a huge drill press in the well-equipped shop at the Commission 's state headquarters in Macon. The shop fabricates and repairs much of the machinery that is used in forest firefighting and tree nursery operations.

COMMISSION SHOP PROVIDES SAVINGS

BY BUILDING, REPAIRING EQUIPMENT

Virtually every piece of fire fighting equipment owned by the Georgia Forestry Commission has been made, modified, or at one time repaired by the Commission's fabricating shop located at the Macon headquarters.

The shop operates under the Forest Protection Department, and the main function is to build fire fighting equipment, said Wesley Wells, chief of the department.
" We stay busy constantly and never get to the point where we have nothing to do. There are times when we aren 't pushed so hard, but we never catch up completely," said Larry James, shop foreman.

Work carried out for Forest Protection includes building and installing brush guards, manual and hydraulic ramps, and fire plows, with building and installing fire plows the major function.

James explained that at one time the Commission bought all of its plows. "Six years ago, we could buy plows at $2,700 each from a well known manufacturer, but a year later, the price was hiked to $5,800 each. We haven't bought any since that time. Up until now, we've just repaired the ones that we already have, but this year we started fabricating them ourselves."

Ella Atkinson is presented the Young Forester ofthe YearAward by EleyC. Frazer Ill, presidentof F & W Forestry Service. Others are Dr. Tom Rodgers, left, state 4-H leader, and Dr. Kim Coder, Extension Service forester and 4-H coordinator.
FIRST FEMALE TO WIN FORESTRY SCHOLARSHIP

James said the shop has built seven this year at the old price, which is a 50 percent savings over purchasing the ready built ones. The shop has built about 40 other plows in the past year.
"Judging from the comments I hear from the field , we now have the best plows that the Commission has ever had. They don 't require as much maintenance and they also plow better," said James.

Ella Atkinson, a 16-year-old 4-H member of Roberta in Crawford County, has become the first female to win the F & W Forester Award and scholarship, which is presented annually for outstanding achievements in forestry among Georgia's 185,000 4-H members.
Miss Atkinson, who combines an interest in forestry with her musical talents, was presented the 1987 F & W Award during the annual 4-H Congress in Atlanta by Eley C. Frazer, Ill, president ofF & W Forestry Ser-

vices, Inc., Georgia's largest forestry consulting firm.
The award, which carries a $500 college scholarship, was established in 1983 by F&W Forestry Services to encourage young people to consider forestry as a career. The recipient of the F & W Young Forester Award and scholarship is chosen by a panel of judges from the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, which directs 4-H forestry and wood science activities in the state.

Besides the large amount of work done for Forest Protection, the shop also does a great deal of work for the Reforestation Department.
"We supply the nurseries with seedling lifters, root pruners, undercut blades, wagons, packing stands, conveyor stands, and other equipment," said James.
The exact amount of money the GFC shop has saved the taxpayers over the years is not readily available, "but it would have to be considerable," said James.

Georgia Forestry/December 198 7/ 11

FLINT RIVER NURSERY DEDICATED

A drenching rain that broke the autumn drought fe ll on t he Commissiion 's new Flint River Nursery on the morn ing of November 1 7 and for awhile it seem ed the downpou r would dampen the spirit and limit the turnout of guests for th e dedication of the facility.
The crowd did come, however, and at t he appointed hour the governor's helicopter came down from the leaden sky.
In his dedicatory address, Gov. Joe Frank Harris praised t he Commission for its rapidity in transforming an 832 -acre tract of farmland into a tree nursery that is already producing 50 m ill ion pine seedlings. He reminded some 250 timber growers, farmers, political leaders, foresters and ot hers attend ing t he ceremony that only a generation or two ago " Cotton w as King " in Georgia .
.. But now," the governor said," the fields that were once wh ite with cotton are forest green ...and today forestry is kin g in Georgia." He referred to published reports claiming that forestry in the state is now an $8 .6 billion industry and declared t hat " I am now calling it a nine billion dollar industry as I travel around the nation and the world because I know it will reach that point it it hasn 't already done so."
GEORGIA'S FUTURE
Governor Harris said he looked down at the green fields of seedlings from the helicopter during the landing approach at t he nursery near Byromville in Dooly County and " saw more t han millions of seedlings...! saw the future of Georgia...ce rtainly a large part of Georgia's future ."
The dedicatory speaker told of several forest-related industries that have recently come to Georgia and pointed out the need for a greater volume of wood to keep pace with the industrial development across the state. He again challenged landowners to plant an acre of trees for every acre of timber harvested.
Wayne West. chairman of the Dooly County Board of Commissioners, read a proclamation that declared November 17, 1987 as " Flint River Nursery Day in Dooly County." Commission Director John Mixon, who introduced the speakers and spec ial guests, commended West and the board for the close cooperation given during the development of the nursery.
The General Assembly in 1987 appropriated funds for a new nursery and the large tract near the Flint River was selected by soil specialists who had considered 20 sites . Part of the acreage will be devoted to slash and loblolly seed orchards .
200 MILLION SEEDLINGS
When in full production, the new nurserywill produce approximately 80 million seedlings . This season, the 50 m ill ion bei ng grown at Flint. plus those produced at the Commission 's other nurseries will total 200 million seedlings for the current plant ing season .
In addition to the Governor and West, others making brief addresses at the dedication, which was held in a recently completed packing shed and cold storage facility atthe nursery, were Senator Hugh Gillis, Sr., chairman of the Natural Resources Committee; Representative Terry Coleman, chairman of the Natural Resources & Environment Committee; and Jim L. Gil li s. Jr., chairman of the Georgia Forestry Commission . Ray Sh irl ey, former Director of the Forestry Commission , gave the invocation.
Following the dedicatory program and a tour of the facil ities. a fish fry was given by the Dooly County Board of Commissioners.

More than persons were on hand to hear Governor Joe Frank Harris make the dedicatory address at the Commission 's newest nursery. In the bottom scene, the initial crop of seedlings at the Flint River N ursery is ready to be harvested.

12/ Georgia Forestry/ December 198 7

REGISTRATION BOARD
NAMES NEW MEMBERS
Craig Earnest of Dalton and William C. Humphries Jr. of Jeffersonville have been appointed by Governor Joe Frank Harris to the State Board of Registration of Foresters.
The appointments were announced with the re-appointment of William Lazenby of Macon and Arthur Carter of Cartersville. All four were sworn in at a ceremony in the Governor's office.
Earnest is with Hiawassee Land Company in Calhoun, while Humphries owns and manages Forest Resource Consultants, Inc. in Macon.
The Board, established in 1951 by the General Assembly, is responsible for the regulation of the forestry profession in the state, including examination and licensing of foresters . The Board may also authorize investigations in any charges of fraud , deceit, gross negligence, incompetency, or other misconduct by any forester registerd by the board .
TIMBER INVESTMENT
WORKSHOP PLANNED
If you are a forest landowner, manager, consultant, service forester, accountant, attorney or any other professional who works with private non-industrial forest landowners pertaining to tax and estates planning , you will be interested in " Winning Tax Strategies: Timber Investment Planning Under the 7986 Tax Reform Act. " A workshop at The University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education, January 13-1 5, 1988.
It will provide a working knowledge for major tax aspects of timber resources management. The focus will be on each major area of federal income estate and gift tax laws that affects timber.
Instructors are Dr. Harry L. Haney, Jr., Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Forest Management-Economics, Department of Forestry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia; and Dr. William C. Siegal, Project Leader for Forest Resource Law, Taxation and Economics, U.S. Forest Service, New Orleans, Louisiana .
For further information, contact Andy Little, 2 51 Center for Continuing Education , The University of Georgia or phone 404/ 542-1585.

STRANDBOARD PLANT TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN JACKSON COUNTY
The Timber and Minerals Division of the J . M . Huber corporation has announced plans to construct an oriented strand board plant in Jackson County.
Strand board is a reconstituted structural wood panel having strength characteristics similar to plywood . To make OSB, narrow strands of wood are cut from whole trees, dried, mixed with exterior gluesand then pressed under high heat and pressure. The panels are used widely in construction and in remodeling and repair applications .
Huber's plant will be located on approximately 328 acres near Commerce. Construction is underway and the plant is scheduled to begin operations in December, 1988 . Estimated cost is $40 to $ 5 0 , 0 0 0 ,0 0 0 .
Once in full operation, the plant will employ 120 people. Employees are expected to come from the local area and annual direct payroll is estimated at $2,500,000. Wages due to secondary employment could likely be two to three times this number.
Pine, yellow poplar and sweetgum will

GEORGIA SAF DIVISION OFFICERS ARE ELECTED
H. Ed Hutcheson, vice president, Resource Group of Georgia Timberlands, Inc., will become chairman of the Georgia Division of the Society of American Foresters January 1, and Thomas T. Gilpin, forest tree nursery manager, Georgia Kraft Company, has been named chairman-elect.
Hutcheson is a graduate of the School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, and is primarily responsible for resource management, land acquisitions and sales for his company. He is a licensed real estate broker and a registered forester.
Gilpin was assistant nursery manager for St. Joe Paper Company from 1978 to 1980, and a Peace Corps volunteer in forest silviculture/ education from 1974 to 197 7 . He graduated from the University of Georgia's School of Forest Resources.
He has served as the Pine Mountain Chapter secretary-treasurer, chairmanelect, and chairman .
Sharon Dolliver, a 1976 graduate of the School of Forest Resources, UGA, will be secretary-treasurer for the second year.
She worked as an urban and management forester for the Georgia Forestry Commission in Dekalb and Rockdale Counties from 1976-1981 .
She has since returned to the Georgia Forestry Commission as a senior forester in the Forest Management Department.

"Strandboard manufacturers can use a mixture of soft and hard woods and the establishment of plants in Georgia, and especially in North Georgia where there is a surplus of hardwood, will certainly strengthen the pulpwood market. ..it's the stimulus w e have needed."
Pau l Butts, Comm ission's Utilization Forester
be used to produce OSB panels at Huber's new facility. Approximately 250,000 cords will be purchased annually from the area around Jackson County. Production of the panels is estimated to total 285,000,000 square feet each year. "This is enough 4 ' X 8' panels, that if placed end to end , would stretch from Commerce to Seattle and then some, "A company official said .
Meanwhile, a second strandboard plant is being established in Jackson County and one was recently built near Valdosta.

WOOD HEATING BOOK NOW AT GFC OFFICES
Persons wishing to combat rising utility costs with wood heaters can now turn to an authoritative publication to help with decisions concerning purchase, installation and maintenance of such heaters.
Wood Heating - Safety, Savings and Comfort, a manual prepared by the Research Department, Georgia Forestry Commission, and the Governor's Office of Energy Resources, contains such information as where to place a heater in your home, which chimney designs are the safest, and how to get your money's worth when purchasing firewood . One chapter even deals with wood heating for mobile homes.
Persons interested in obtaining a copy of the illustrated, 54-page publication should contact the nearest office of the Georgia Forestry Commission.

UPDATED WOOD HANDBOOK IS SOURCE OF AUTHORITATIVE INFORMATION

The Wood Handbook, a recently updated desk reference publication prepared by the Forest Products Laboratory is now available for use in the wood products and construction industries.
The 23-chapter handbook,which includes a glossary and selected references for additional information, is designed as an aid

to more efficient use of wood as a construction material. The handbook provides detailed information on wood as an engineering material. The publication is designed to give engineers, architects and builders an authoritative source of information on the physical and mechanical properties of wood
Copies of the revised Wood Handbook are

available from Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, 71 0 N. Capitol Street, Washingtron, DC 20404. Requests should include complete title and stock number: Agriculture Handbood No. 72, Wood Handbook, Stock No. 001-000-044-56-7. The cost is $27.00 (subject to change without notice).
Georgia Forestry/December 798 7/13

NATIONAL TREE FARMER
(continued from page 3)
billion. "The potential is tremendous and it's the
CAP (Conservation Reserve Program) push that makes the difference. It's one of those rare programs that benefits everybody right down the line - from the landowner to the federal government. Even the man on the street who doesn't even know about it, benefits because he is enjoying the results of a healthy economy."
Stripling's contagious enthusiasm for tree farming has been spawned by 48 years of practicing what he preaches. Although he planted trees through the years, he marks 1955 as the year he " really got started " by setting out 40 acres of pines. Then, in 1956, an accident made him even more aware of the need of security provided through tree farming. Chasing a cow on horseback, Stripling hit a fence post and injured his left leg. The impact was so great that it broke the saddle in half and shattered the leg so severely that doctors feared it might have to be amputated. Stripling recovered and did not lose the leg, but the accident caused him to go into high gear tree farming with new respect for future planning.
STRIPLING'S MOTTO
" I guess that accident is what really sealed my motto; if you plan for the future, the present takes care of itself," Stripling said . Preparing for the future is what Stripling has been doing for many years. He keeps a daily journal of forestry related activities and knows what his land is capable of producing and what it will be worth every year from now until 2010. He continues to refine and maximize forest productivity by planting, replanting, thinning, harvesting, and experimenting with different species . His innovative experiments are only one of the plus factors setting him apart.
One experiment involves growing sand pine on land that many would consider to be worthless; but the sand pine is growing and Stripling has gathered data that could prove valuable in the future. He points outthatthere was a time when all pine trees were considered virtually worthless.
Stripling also plants slash, longleaf and loblolly pine. A manicured pecan orchard and some impressive live oaks can also be found on his property. Stripling's detailed journal shows that he has experienced remarkable success fertilizing pine seedlings. On other sites, he mows between the tree rows to reduce competition until the stand is old enough to benefit from prescribed burning. All appropriate sites are burned on a two-year rotation basis. Future plans include using chemicals to reduce hardwoods and release pine growth (another experimental oddity for South Georgia).
14/ Georgia Forestry/December 198 7

Stripl ing 's concern for tree farm ing goes beyond econom ics . He has developed a protective rapport with the land that influences many of his actions- including his intense tree farm program . Some of his attitudes border on the mystical quality reflected by early American Ind ians in their feel ings for land and nature.
"Through the years. I have felt that tree farming is the ultimate in good soil stewardship. When I plant trees , l feel a little closer to the Great Being that rules the Universe," Stripling said.
However. Stripling 's protective tendencies get even more persona l. As his son and daughter grew up and had famil ies of their own , he saw they had little interest in his land and he feared that after he died the land might not remain in the family.
" And it just means more to me to know that after I'm dead that sort of th ing won 't happen," said Stripling while looking out the window at the vast cluster of live oaks surrounding his house. ' You can't live as close to a piece of land as I have all my life and not feel something for it. I know pretty near every tree, bush , rock . and most of the animals on this place."
Stripling leaned back in his desk chair and replaced the journal on his desk. ''I've had a horror of my land being rented much less sold, " he said " Land goes to hell when it's rented ."
So to prevent the land from falling into unrelated hands, Stripling decided to make it an enterprise that would increase in profit provision and basic value. He considered tree farming the best way to sustain this condition. His children have now developed a new respect and interest in the family farm, he said .
"They can 't afford to get rid of it or rent it now," Stripling said. " I hope it goes on to my grandchildren and they feel the same as I do about it ."
When anybody wins an honor as competitive as the one Stripling won, the inevitable quesiton comes up concerning what makes him better than thousands of other competitors. Obviously, he is an excellent tree farmer with superior management skills, innovative ideas, and academ ic inclinations. He has excelled in the economic as well as aesthetic facets of tree farming .
SHOWCASE FARM
But Stripling 's interest is not only his tree farm , but in all tree farming of the future. He has allowed his tree farm to be used as a sh.owcase and allowed other tree farmers to place experimental plots on his land. And when it comes to tree farming, Stripling is a political activist. He has addressed forestry issues on the local. state and national level. His testimonies appear in the Congressional Record - including testimony on the Conservation Reserve Program.
Stripling also worked with Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA) and Representative Charles Hatcher (D-GA) in preparing a program for

Forester WAYNE WORSHAM , a native of Thomaston and a graduate of the School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, has been assigned to the Camilla District to serve as a management forester. He is
married to the former Becky Burke and they make their home in Donalsonville...Forester GEOFF ROCKWELL. a native of Virginia and a graduate ofthe School of Forest Resources, UGA. has been assigned to the Tifton District to serve as management forester. He is married to the former Ann Moore of Lynchburg, Va ... Forester BILLY NELSON, a native of McRae, was recently assigned to the Commission's Statesboro District. The new forester, the son of Mr. and Mrs. W . R.
Nelson of McRae and a graduate of Auburn University, will work in forest management...Ranger SANDRA T. VEACH , who formerly headed the Barrow-Jackson County Unit, has been assigned to the Ernst Brender Demonstration Forest near Macon. A native of Cartersville, Veach
farmers to plant trees as a means of FM HA debt relief. Numerous trips to Washington were made at his own expense.
C. M . Stripling is now a trim, healthy 57 years-old . He has been a participant in the revolution that has occurred in forestry and agriculture during the past 40 years and he sees the years to come in a pos itive light.
He sees the Cam illa area in Georgia, like many other places, as an area in transitionhealthy transition . Stripling does not mourn the passing of a bygone era of farm ing romanticized as an American tradition . He sees a different perspective on agricul ture emerging w ith a greening of Georg ia in pine forests and cash profits. Stripling does not nostalgically grieve for a lost labor force removed from farming by technol ogy.
He sees vast new labor opportunities sh ifting to a new agriculture, forestry, and forestry-related industries - especially in what Governor Joe Frank Harris defines as a $9 billion forestry industry in Georgia.

came with the Commission in 1980 as a patrolman and was named ranger in 1986... PAUL PETTY, a native of Pickens County, has been named forest ranger of the Pickens County Unit to succeed CHARLES (RIP) COLLINS, who recently retired after 20 years of service. Ranger Petty has been a member of the Georgia National Guard and also served in the Air Force Reserve. He is married to the former
Sharon Waldrop and they have two children. The family resides in Talking Rock. Fellow employees gave a farewell dinner for the retiring Collins and personnel throughout the Rome District presented him with a quality chain saw...RICK SHELTON HATTEN, a native of Macon and a graduate of the School of Forest Re-
sources, University of Georgia, has been named ranger of the Barrow-Jackson County Unit. He previously worked with tree service companies in Atlanta and Riverdale. The new ranger is married to the former Karen Dumproff and they have two daughters ... ROBERT T. DAUGHTRY has been named ranger of the Morgan-Walton County Unit to succeed Walter H. Jones, who recently retired. The ranger came with the Commission as a patrolman in 1982. Ranger Daughtry and his wife, Patricia, have three children. He attended Phillips Business College...CLIFF HARGROVE, forester, who came with the Commission in 1978 and has served in several positions, including supervisor of the Dixon Memorial State Forest, has been named Washington District Forester to

succeed Don Griner, who transferred to head the Athens District. Hargrove is a native of Waynesboro and a graduate of forest management at Clemson University. Th!il district forester and his wife, Susan, have one daughter and they attend the Methodist Church ...DON GRINER, a graduate of the School of Forest Resources, UGA. recently transferred from Washington, where he had served as district forester since 1972, to become district forester of the Athens District. He came with the Commission in 1958 as assistant ranger in Worth County and was promoted

to several other positions during his career. Griner and his wife, Polly, have two sons and attend the Baptist Church ... BILL DAWKINS, formerly a Wilkes County patrolman, has been named ranger of the Lincoln County Unit. He came with the Commission in 1977. Dawkins is a native of Washington and an instructor for the Georgia Fire Academy. He replaces Ranger GEORGE STORY, who recently retired. Story came with the Commission in 1968 as a patrolman and was named ranger in 1972. The retiree and his wife, Kay,

GREMILLION

WYNN

have a daughter and two grandchildren

...CHARLES GREMILLION , a forester in

the Newnan District office since 1984,

has been named district forester for the

Camilla District. He attended Northeast

Louisiana State College and Louisiana

Polytechnic Institute and previously work-

ed with the U.S. Forest Service. Gremillion

and his wife, Karen, have a son and a

daughter and they attend the Catholic

Church ...CURRAN (BUCK) WYNN, pre-

viously a reforestation forester in the Tifton

District, has been named supervisor of the

Dixon Memorial State Forest to replace

Cliff Hargrove, who transferred to the

Washington District. Wynn came with the

Commission in 1975. He is a graduate of

the School of Forest Resources, University

of Georgia. The forester and his wife have

two children ... PAIGE ROBERTS joined the

Commission's At-

,. lanta Office as pub- ~

lic relations and in-

..

formation special-

: f ist. She was pre-

4.

k..... -.,~. I/ . viously employed
by Pringle Dixon

' ~J'

and Pringle Adver- .

~ tising and Public

Relations Agency in Atlanta. A native

ROBERTS

of Baton Rouge, LA., she graduated from

the University of Georgia's School of Jour-

nalism. Her work with the Commission will

be concentrated mainly in the Atlanta Met-

ropolitan area.

COMMISSION SHOP (continued from page 11)
At times, in order for the shop to fulfill a request. a little ingenuity may be needed. Although they get orders quite often for equipment that they have never built before, James said that only once every three or four years do they find something impossible to build, and even then it is simply a lack of the needed equipment that keeps them from filling the order.
Wells agrees and adds, " What usually happens is that we see a design somewhere that we would like to have, and we come back to the shop and ask our people to build it. They all put their heads together and come up with something. It's usually a trial and error procedure with everyone working together."
Wells said that he has yet to see another state forestry agency that has a shop that is comparable to that of the Commission's. "We have had people come in that see our shop and say that they wish they had a shop with the capabilities that we have. Some state forestry agencies don't have a fabricating shop at all or don 't have one with the equipment and capabilities that we have," said Wells.
It is obvious that the shop provides a valuable service, and Wells estimated that the Commission's budget would increase by many thousands of dollars without the shop.
Georgia Forestry/December 198 7/ 15

SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAID AT MACON, GEORGIA